? about K&N Panel Filter

[MikeInIdaho]

OK so I just recently acquired an '06 b2300 and in the process of doing regular maintenance added the aforementioned filter. Now, when I gave the instructions a once-over it stated to use the provided gasket on the airbox lid for exploders and mountaineers but not for rangers/ b-series pickups. I followed the instructions as this warning was repeated a number of times and even printed in bold letters in one place.

Is there really any kind of difference between the airboxes for these models that would necessitate leaving the gasket out? I'm curious, as the instructions state that I'll cause damage to the engine, etc. just by using the gasket. Just want to make sure I'm not sucking any air past the filter, as i spend a great deal of time in the desert and it gets dusty as hell out here. Any insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

[Bob Ayers]

The airfilter is the same size for the 2.3L, 3.0L, and 4.0L. The OEM filter will flow way more air than a 4.0L will pull, so it is way over designed for your 2.3L.
If you are worried about driving in dusty conditions, by all means go back to the OEM paper filter!!! The K&N filter will PASS way more dirt (and oil) than the OEM paper filter!! Matter of fact, K&N knows this, or they wouldn't have come out with the "Precharger Filter" for dusty conditions:

http://www.knfilters.com/wraps.htm

Bottom line, there is absolutely NO performance advantage to the K&N filter, only the potential to contaminate your MAF sensor, gum up your IAC valve, and throttle body, and put tons of Si in your crankcase!!! So, my insight to you is trash the K&N, and go back to the OEM paper filter (Motorcraft, Purolator, or Wix).

And check this out from the warranty section on K&N's website:

"K&N will not be responsible for any other expenses incurred by the customer under the terms of this warranty, nor shall it be responsible for any damages either consequential, special, contingent, or otherwise; or expenses or injury arising directly or indirectly from the use of the K&N Air Filter."

[Ranger44]

Buy the nice house brand air filter for $5. You'll be golden.

[MikeInIdaho]

Thanks for the advice you guys. Looks like there's about to be a (barely) used K&N filter for sale around here pretty soon...

[Wicked_Sludge]

bob, no offense, but you should tone down your anti-K&N bandwagon just a hair.

bob is absolutely right about there being no performance gains from a K&N (or any aftermarket) filter. hes also right on the point that over oiling the filter can damage your very expensive MAF sensor.

but there is no risk of damaging the engine by letting too much "dust" into the engine. K&N's are more than sufficient to filter out any potential engine damaging particles. i am speaking from experience. ive had a K&N panel filter in my ranger for over 30,000 miles, in a range of conditions from -10 degree muskeg roving, to spinning dohnuts on the sandy beach. ive even sucked water on one occasion (whoops). my MAF sensor, intake, TB, and all other downstream components are just as clean and oil-free as they were 30,000 miles ago when i cleaned them.

Ive had a K&N panel filter in my escort for about 20,000 miles, with the same excellent results :icon_thumby:

the only advantage to these filters is if you plan on keeping your truck long enough for the K&N's re-usability to pay for itself. if you live in extremely dusty conditions (and it sounds like you do), it could pay for itself quite quickly.

[Bryan22]

as far as sealing it up goes, put a SMALL amount of grease on the sealing surface, this way if nothing else, you will have peice of mind that nothing will get past your filter.

[MikeInIdaho]

Thanks again for the advice guys. Think I'll put a little sealing grease on the mating surfaces as suggested, as I definetly am a worry-wart about these kinds of things...

[gw33gp]

Also for a little more peace of mind, I have a total of almost 300,000 miles on two Rangers with K&N filters with no problems. They have served a lot of duty in dusty off-road desert conditions.

My first Ranger had had almost 200,000 miles on it when I sold it and the engine ran as good or better than it did new. Right before I sold it, I towed my race car with it on a 5,000 mile round trip and it never needed a drop of oil added to it. That truck now has way over 200,000 miles on it and is still running strong.

I have been using K&N filters on all my vehicles (5 of them now) since the early 1980s and have never had any problems related to using K&N filters on them.

As said before, no performance advantage from them but they can run a long time before needing to be cleaned and still flow well. I run up to 50,000 miles before cleaning, more often in very dusty conditions.

[Bob Ayers]

bob, no offense, but you should tone down your anti-K&N bandwagon just a hair.

bob is absolutely right about there being no performance gains from a K&N (or any aftermarket) filter. hes also right on the point that over oiling the filter can damage your very expensive MAF sensor.

but there is no risk of damaging the engine by letting too much "dust" into the engine. K&N's are more than sufficient to filter out any potential engine damaging particles. i am speaking from experience. ive had a K&N panel filter in my ranger for over 30,000 miles, in a range of conditions from -10 degree muskeg roving, to spinning dohnuts on the sandy beach. ive even sucked water on one occasion (whoops). my MAF sensor, intake, TB, and all other downstream components are just as clean and oil-free as they were 30,000 miles ago when i cleaned them.

Ive had a K&N panel filter in my escort for about 20,000 miles, with the same excellent results :icon_thumby:

the only advantage to these filters is if you plan on keeping your truck long enough for the K&N's re-usability to pay for itself. if you live in extremely dusty conditions (and it sounds like you do), it could pay for itself quite quickly.


Do a search on "dusted turbos", "hi Si in UOA", and "dirty MAF sensors" and see what you find!

There is NO WAY that the K&N will filter as well as the OEM filter, all you have to do is hold it up to a light source and see the holes in the filter media!!

The K&N filter was developed for off road races, Like Baja, the reason being the OEM filters would plug up with dust in no time, but not the case of the
K&Ns. Same amount of dust was flowing, so guess where it was going!!

And since you do agree there is NO performance advantage to a K&N why would you want to take a risk in the damage from one? Also think about why
K&N would put the disclaimer in their warranty.

Check out these TRS threads, especially posts from AllanD:

http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20263


http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21168

[Bryan22]

That's why you oil the filter... whatever the filter dosen't keep from bypassing gets caught by the oil. look at a dirt bike. I just went through and read through those other threads, and we had a K&N setup in a 2000 and a 2001 ford f-250 7.3 liter diesels. one with 70,000 on the K&N(actually second he replaced the first one at 50,000) the other only with about 10,000 miles on the K&N... never a single problem. both trucks run fantastic.

[Bob Ayers]

That's why you oil the filter... whatever the filter dosen't keep from bypassing gets caught by the oil. look at a dirt bike.

The filter comes pre-oiled........and it still passes a lot of dirt!!!!



I guess you missed this post by AllanD in the thread links I posted:



Yes, but the factory air filter setup IS a cold air setup.

Hell even the original 2.9 setup had the air intake behind the grille.

Yes there's a preheater tube but that tube is CLOSED OFF most of the time.
Eliminating it can get you into legal hot water in terms of emmissions laws.

My brother LOVES K&N filters.
He will NOT use them on his own vehicle.

You see he is a Ford Dealer mechanic.

K&N filters make him more hours and thus more money.

Especially on the turbo diesels

Ever seen a turbo diesel that's bee run behind a K&N?

It's fugly.

AD

[Wicked_Sludge]

im not denying that a paper filter filters better. but what research have you done that proves that a paper filter isnt overkill?

between me and gw33gp, we've got over 350,000 miles on K&N's with no problems. if you'd like, ill pull my MAF sensor off the ranger and VAF sensor off the escort and take pictures of them for you. they are clean and dust free (and the ranger spends a LOT of time on the beach these days):

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/526000-526999/526265_69_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.com/member_images/10/web/526000-526999/526265_74_full.jpg

ive had the "dirty" side of the airbox full of sand from spinning dohnuts on the beach, and still nothing harmful got into the engine.

ive never seen a failure caused by a properly employed K&N failing to stop harmful particles.

i HAVE seen a failure caused by a cheap paper filter that didnt fit the air box properly, thus failing to seal and allowing unfiltered air into the engine.

[Bryan22]

nah i didn't miss those parts of the threads, i don't care what his brother said, i've seen K&Ns in ford diesels with absolutely no negative effects. both truck run perfect. the work truck that I used to drive has something close to 200,000 miles on it, still hauls anything ang gets 21 MPG on the highway. We drove it mostly in the highdeserts of california, where the dust blows pretty much all year round.

[Wicked_Sludge]

the biggest problem with the aftermarket K&N filters made for the deisels is the exposed filter element gets beat to hell in that crammed engine compartment. ive seen more physically damaged K&N's on ford deisels than anything else.

the few K&N panel filters ive seen on 7.3's and 6.0's have been just dandy.

[Bryan22]

ya, the filter was just like the one in my 94 (square panell filter) except bigger, the worst problem we ever had was one day it was running like shit and we could not figure out what was going on. about 500 miles later I go to change oil, filter ECT... pull the K&N and find about 1/2 a sunday paper stuffed in the air box. lol.

[Bob Ayers]

im not denying that a paper filter filters better. but what research have you done that proves that a paper filter isnt overkill?


Ok, you have admitted that there is NO performance advantage to a K&N, and now you admit that the OEM paper filters better, why would anybody in their right mind want to spend more money for a K&N?

[Wicked_Sludge]

becase a K&N will save you money in the long run.

both of mine have paid for themselves several times over.

[Bob Ayers]

becase a K&N will save you money in the long run.

both of mine have paid for themselves several times over.

I'm sorry, but I disagree!! How has one paid for itself over and over in 30K miles, and another paid for itself over and over in 20K miles?

I've got a novel idea, you keep using K&Ns, I'll keep using the OEM paper filters!!

But, I'm glad we do agree that there is NO performance advantage to the K&N, and the OEM paper filters better.......

[Wicked_Sludge]

i wasnt try to convince YOU to switch bob...i hope thats not what you thought i was doing.

i just wanted the OP to hear both sides of the story before he made HIS decision.

my K&N filters HAVE paid for themselves already, thats fact...but youre free to disagree if youd like :icon_thumby:

EDIT: you keep editing while im posting :D

i never said how many times either paid for itself. the rangers has paid for itself many times as the truck sees tons of dusty and severe conditions (towing, hauling).

the escorts has paid for itself like 1.33 times or something like that (id have to go get my book).

[Bob Ayers]

my K&N filters HAVE paid for themselves already, thats fact...but youre free to disagree if youd like :icon_thumby:
.


Ok, here is the math:

Ford recommends that the air filter be changed every 30K miles

From Advance Auto website:

K&N airfilter for Ranger = $59.88

Purolator OEM paper airfilter for Ranger = $9.19



Looks to me like you are still about $50 in the hole at 30K miles!

How did you recover the $59.88 over and over in 30K miles?

Again....I disagree.......

[BlackBII]

Just because Ford reccommends it get replaced every 30K, doesn't mean it doesn't get caked with dirt before you hit 30K.

I've cleaned my KN dozens of times, I usually check/clean it when changing oil, No need to go and buy a new one.

[gw33gp]

Try running a paper filter for 30K miles in dusty conditions compared to a K&N under the same conditions. You will then see an advantage in performance with the K&N over a paper filter because the filter will be so restricted. I would venture to say the paper filtered engine would probably not even run. The K&N filtered engine will run and run well. This is not hear-say nor a report I read. I have done it with a K&N.

Suck in a little water with a paper filter and see what happens. Paper turns to mush when wet.

There are other advantages to K&N filters but the main reason I use them is because I am lazy and don't want to bother with changing air filters all the time. I would rather spend a little more time cleaning one every 50K miles.

I have been on a dirt trail for about 25 miles behind about 10 other Rangers. At the end my truck was covered with about a 1/8th inch of fine dirt. When I got home I decided I should clean the K&N filter even though I had cleaned it only 20K miles ago. While I was in there I took a white cloth and wiped the inside of the intake tube to see if anything got passed the K&N filter. Guess what, the white cloth was just as white after wiping as it was before. I guess it all got sucked down the engine and went right on out the exhaust. I have also had my oil analyzed and there was no out of the ordinary amount of silicon. Excess silicone is an indicator of dirt getting past or through the air filter.

Everybody should use what they want, I do. Just don't tell me what I use is crap from hear-say and some reports that are done in a not real world conditions. So what if the K&N passed some very fine particles. From my experience it does not harm the engine. Paper filters work very well when used as intended, so do K&N filters.

[Bob Ayers]

Try running a paper filter for 30K miles in dusty conditions compared to a K&N under the same conditions. You will then see an advantage in performance with the K&N over a paper filter because the filter will be so restricted. I would venture to say the paper filtered engine would probably not even run. The K&N filtered engine will run and run well. This is not hear-say nor a report I read. I have done it with a K&N.
.

You are correct!!!! This was the scenario at off road races like Baja, as I have previously posted!!!!

[Wicked_Sludge]

Again....I disagree.......

heres some more math for you bob:

as i already said, my truck sees "unaverage" service conditions. my filter requires service at more frequent intervals than what fords manual specifies (who the hell goes by mileage for an air filter anyway?).

your also about $10 high on your K&N cost.

but you forgot to add the cost of the K&N cleaning kit (if one so chooses to use one).

thats all been accounted for in my calculations.

you can disagree with my methods all you want...but the fact remains that a K&N is more cost effective for me (and many other people that operate their vehicles in extremely dusty conditions). and since you dont know me, my truck, or my preventative maintainence habbits, i can accuratly say that, in this case, you have no idea what your talking about :icon_thumby:

[Bob Ayers]

heres some more math for you bob:

as i already said, my truck sees "unaverage" service conditions. my filter requires service at more frequent intervals than what fords manual specifies (who the hell goes by mileage for an air filter anyway?).

your also about $10 high on your K&N cost.

but you forgot to add the cost of the K&N cleaning kit (if one so chooses to use one).

thats all been accounted for in my calculations.

you can disagree with my methods all you want...but the fact remains that a K&N is more cost effective for me (and many other people that operate their vehicles in extremely dusty conditions). and since you dont know me, my truck, or my preventative maintainence habbits, i can accuratly say that, in this case, you have no idea what your talking about :icon_thumby:




Well, lets see some details!!!!!!! So far, I would say your F.O.S.


And here is where my prices come from:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/ProductList.aspx?parttype=2&ptset=A&searchfor=Air+Filter

[Wicked_Sludge]

my details are hand-scrawled maintainence logs that i keep in the glove box of the truck. if i thought it would prove anything, id take some pics for you....but i dont so i wont (im sure your keen eye would find a way to prove that i had scribbled the logs out 30 seconds before taking the picture, or some such thing). and im sure since i denied you your "proof" you'll say it doesnt exist now....kind of lose-lose for me :D

so far, your the only one that seems to have a problem with my reasoning, and since im not trying to convince you, ill let it be.

as i said before, i just wanted the OP to hear both sides of the story before he made a decision for himself. i think we've accomplished that (and more).

[jax4bangin]

i would think that the more surface area to a filter, the more air flow and filtering capabilitys. which has more surface k&n panel or OEM?

i made a piece of 3" dia. tube for my stupid MAF to sit in so i could switch to a larger k&n cone style filter(way way more surface than either of the 2 panels) using the old "butt dyno" i couldnt tell if i was gaining any power.. but since air is being pulled through much more surface material it seems as though i will be able to go longer on cleaning intervals because the amount of dirt is much less concentraited on the larger unit:headbang:

[Wicked_Sludge]

a K&N panel filter drops into the factory air box...it has roughly the same surface area as the original filter.

you may be right about the larger filter needing cleaning less often, but i doubt its a considerable improvement over a drop-in K&N filter.

[jax4bangin]

yea prolly didnt gain anythin. but it does look pretty slick:icon_thumby: its kinda loud too, not anoying, u can just hear it pullin some air wen ya put the hammer down